From The Sidelines
by Setsana
Summary: "People think that all heroes are found on the battlefield, but war tends to look much different from the sidelines." S.H.I.E.L.D. hired her to help make a difference, but she didn't consider herself a hero. She saved lives, but they saved the world. OC story that spans across the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and beyond. Eventual Hawkeye/OC.
1. Call To Action

**Disclaimer: One does not simply own the MCU or its characters. However all OCs belong to me.**

**A/N: Begins during the events of Iron Man 2.**

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Call To Action

_Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~Helen Keller_

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**May 2010  
****Columbia University  
****New York**

_Mutation is the changing, but not necessarily evolution, of the structure of a gene. It is caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA or in larger sections of genes or chromosomes, the results of which are a variant form that may be—_

"Dr. Halloway? There's someone here to see you."

Of course there was. Sighing in defeat, Adina Halloway pushed away from the monitor she'd been staring at for the past hour. An entire hour spent trying to think of how to start a simple dissertation on a subject she was supposed to be an expert in. _Don't lie to yourself, Addie, _she thought, _you weren't even thinking about the paper._ Well, maybe not, but it would figure that the moment she actually got to writing the thing she was interrupted; at this point she should have expected it.

_Never used to have all these interruptions. God, I miss that. _Ever since she had published a paper on the potential medical benefits of the mutant gene, she'd barely had a moment to herself. People were constantly trying to debunk her claims while others were curious to know more. They would come into her office and badger her with questions, eager to discover just how she intended to achieve what her paper spoke of. The point was that, whether or not they claimed to believe her, they were skeptical. And with the base of her research lying so heavily in the taboo subject of mutation, they were no doubt suspicious. But what she hated most about her newfound fame was within the very walls of Columbia University: guest speaking. There was a reason she had chosen the position of Research Professor – little to no teaching duties. Sure, she had to do a few seminars at the medical school, that was just fine. Adina loved the students and was always happy to impart her knowledge to them should they ask for it. What she couldn't stand was being summoned to a lecture hall to speak about her _unfinished_ work, only to have curious students visit her later and prevent her from ever completing said work. Hence the lack of dissertation, which she was technically supposed to start two days ago.

She looked back up at the Assistant Research Professor waiting patiently at the door. At least the young woman hadn't just let the person into her office. Of course, it wasn't Lily's job to do such things in the first place. She was a new Assistant Research Professor that had somewhat been placed under Adina's supervision while she got used to the university, but she had quickly been made into a part-time bodyguard/secretary for the newly popular Dr. Halloway. Lily didn't seem to mind warning her whenever she was about to lose a good half hour of work to a curious visitor, and Adina certainly didn't take her kindness for granted. She liked to know what she was dealing with beforehand, and Lily allowed her just that.

"Who is it, Lily?" she asked. _Please, for the love of God, not another student. Not today._

"I don't know."

Well, so much for knowing what she was dealing with.

Dr. Halloway removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "At least tell me what he looks like." She could at least figure out if it was a student. Perhaps it was even a personal visitor, though she hadn't had one of those in quite some time.

Lily was somewhat caught off guard. Understandable; she probably hadn't expected an impromptu visual memory test. "Oh, uh, middle-aged white guy in a suit, really serious and professional looking, maybe works for the government?"

Government? That could be a problem. What could the government want with her? Though her work had been drawing a lot of attention lately, it had mostly been from students, scholars, members of the scientific community; never the government. Of course, they could always be here to ask a few questions, just like all the others, but the fact was that she simply didn't trust government officials. The very few that she had met had only ever given her trouble, and she certainly wasn't ready to deal with them at the moment. _This is ridiculous, _she thought, _I'm making huge assumptions of someone I've never met based on a physical description given to me by a woman I've known for a month. This guy might just want to ask about my research._

She could see Lily getting increasingly more uncomfortable as she waited for an answer at the door. Adina sighed and replaced her glasses on her face. "Send him in."

Lily nodded and left to retrieve the visitor. Seconds later, the man entered and Adina felt her stomach sink. She knew him – not well, but she remembered his face. And although he wasn't government, he wasn't exactly a welcome sight either.

He came to stand in front of her desk. "Dr. Halloway, my name is Agent Coulson, I believe we've met before."

"Yes, a few years ago, I remember," she said, rising to greet him. She shook his hand with a firm grip and watched as he remained impassive. _Huh, hard to get a read off this guy_. "You're with the Strategic Homeland—"

"Actually, we just go by S.H.I.E.L.D. now," he said with the ghost of a smile. "Takes a lot less time during introductions."

"That it does. So what can I do for you, Agent Coulson? This isn't about—"

"Not this time, Doctor," he replied, already knowing what she was about to say. "We've got that situation covered for now."

Adina breathed a sigh of relief. She was dealing with enough stress right now; she didn't need S.H.I.E.L.D. asking her to help them hunt down her former colleague again. _Then again, 'got that situation covered' is pretty generic. Let's just hope that they dealt with it in a civilized manner._

As if reading her mind, Agent Coulson spoke up. "There's no reason to worry, we're keeping an eye on him but we're keeping our distance. This is something entirely different. S.H.I.E.L.D. requires your assistance with a medical issue."

_Great, here we go again. _"And what kind of assistance are you looking for exactly? I assume it has to do with my mutant gene theory."

"Not at all, Dr. Halloway." She was surprised at this. Every visitor she had had for the last few weeks was only concerned about that paper. Agent Coulson continued. "Although it is a fascinating theory and we do see the benefits of it, we understand that your research is still in its early stages and is not at all ready for actual medical practice. We wouldn't ask that of you."

_Well that just might be the most sympathy I've received all year, _Adina thought. She didn't let the agent in front of her know this, though. She was still wary of him, and certainly didn't want him thinking he could get the upper hand by sympathizing. "So what exactly is this 'medical issue' that S.H.I.E.L.D. can't deal with on its own?"

"We have a client that we believe is very ill," he replied. "A very rare metal poisoning, by our guess, and his condition seems to be progressing rather quickly now. We need you to help us isolate the issue and cure it, if you can."

"I'm sorry, 'by your guess'? You aren't even sure what's wrong with this person and you just want me to come up with a cure? I don't know what you've heard, Agent Coulson, but I'm not a miracle worker."

"No, but you are a specialist, and this is a very special case."

"There are plenty of _other_ specialists that I'm sure would be qualified to help you. If you'd like, I can speak to some friends down at Culver University. Their science department has some of the most advanced equipment and faculty in the country. I'm sure Dr. Ross could—"

"We've already considered Culver's faculty," he interrupted, "but we believe you're the best person for the job. You have an outstanding background in chemistry and medicine, plenty of experience and the most promising practical results we've seen. You'd be doing us a great service, Doctor. We don't know how long this person has before their body gives out, it could be a matter of days. We need someone efficient, someone who knows what they're doing. We can't take any risks with this."

Agent Coulson fell silent and simply watched her, obviously giving her a moment to let the information sink in. Adina closed her eyes in thought, weighing the options. She barely knew what she was supposed to be treating, she was dealing with a secretive organization that most of the world didn't even know existed, and apparently she had an entire life in her hands. But then who was she not to try her best to save that life? At that, she thought of her mentor's words:

_It is simple to take a life; it is far more difficult to save one. Not many can do it, and those who can are not always successful. You have a very special gift, Adina, because you can so easily save lives. That is something that the world sorely needs, and so I hope you will take every chance you get to share it._

Who was she kidding? Of course she was going to help.

"I'll do what I can."

But she was probably going to regret it, too.

* * *

**A/N: And so it begins. This mammoth undertaking shall span across the entire MCU and beyond. You heard me, BEYOND. Fear not, for all shall be explained eventually. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for all of the Marvel cameos and Easter eggs within. Can you spot the ones in this chapter?**

**Because it will be so vast, I will include general dates and locations at the beginning of each chapter to help in your navigation of the story. 'Tis my first fanfiction, so please review! But be gentle, I bruise easily.**


	2. Responsible Agents

**A/N: Thank you for the faves and follows!**

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Responsible Agents

_I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work. ~Pearl S. Buck_

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**May 2010  
Columbia University  
New York**

Obviously, Agent Coulson had assumed that Adina would agree to his proposal, because preparations had already been made for her to begin her work. Apparently, more agents had been awaiting orders outside the building while the two were talking. Agent Coulson had offered the option of moving her to a location where she would have access to S.H.I.E.L.D. lab equipment, and when she refused it had only taken a quick word spoken into his earpiece to set everything in motion.

Moments after calling them, three other agents entered her office carrying various containers and briefcases; two men and one woman.

Agent Coulson took the briefcase that one of the men handed him and placed it on her desk. He opened it to reveal a sleek tablet and a couple of file folders. "Before we get any further, we'll need you to sign this." He pulled out one of the folders and handed it to her. "It's a contract, simply stating that you won't divulge the specifics of this task to anyone outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. The person we're trying to help is a very high-profile individual. If the public were to find out about his condition, we could end up with quite a mess on our hands."

The file only contained two pages detailing the state of secrecy that she was to operate under and the consequences should she violate it. Adina signed it relatively quickly, just skimming over the words. She hadn't planned on revealing her involvement in this to anyone anyways, as she didn't really have anyone to tell. There was always Lily, who would no doubt be curious about what she was doing, but she usually knew to mind her own business. Plus, Adina was good at keeping secrets; it was how she'd made it this far.

She handed the folder containing the signed contract back to Agent Coulson, which he checked before handing it back to one of the agents behind him. "So, who exactly do I have the pleasure of treating?" she asked.

He removed the tablet from the briefcase and turned it on, typing in a code before pulling up a file and handing it to her. "I'm sure you're familiar with him; most people are."

Adina looked at the file on the tablet: **Anthony "Tony" Stark**. Tony Stark, the genius billionaire who came back from the dead just two years earlier was all of a sudden on his deathbed?

"I don't understand," she said, trying to wrap her head around the concept. "I thought Tony Stark recovered. He built an arc reactor in his chest to keep him alive and healthy, and it seemed to be working just fine."

"It was, for a time," Agent Coulson explained, "but now it's the very thing that's killing him. It seems that the palladium in the arc reactor is starting to affect his body, and we're not sure how to counter the effects."

_Well it's certainly a unique situation, _she thought. _Still, how the hell did his body demonstrate no signs of infection until now?_

Figuring that she was ready to start brainstorming, Agent Coulson took a moment to go through everything with Adina. The tablet had files and details on Mr. Stark, including specifics about his condition, his medical history and even notes on his use of the Iron Man armour. Another briefcase contained blood, DNA and palladium samples, as well as a few recent recordings of his blood toxicity levels. In a very large plastic case she would find various laboratory apparatus that S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided her, should she find her own insufficient.

"How exactly did you acquire blood and DNA samples from Mr. Stark? And the toxicity recordings—"

"We have someone on the inside," he replied. "She's currently keeping a close eye on Mr. Stark's condition and providing us information to go on."

"'Someone on the inside', huh? Does Mr. Stark _know_ that this person is keeping an eye on him?"

"I wouldn't say that he does; our operative is very good at her job. Speaking of which," he took the tablet and pulled up the address book. It contained only two contacts: Agent Coulson and Natalie Rushman. "Should you need any new information on Mr. Stark or his condition, call Ms. Rushman. She'll give you any information she has and find out anything you need."

Adina was surprised that they would allow her this much access to their resources, but nodded in understanding nonetheless.

"As for assistance, I'll be leaving you with Agent Ward and Agent Simmons." The female agent and the taller of the two male agents stepped forward. "Agent Simmons specializes in life sciences, and can help you wherever you find it necessary. Agent Ward will act as security, and will ensure that you remain undisturbed while you work. Although we are looking for a cure, I don't need to remind you how little time we might have. Anything you can give us to help Mr. Stark is greatly appreciated. Best of luck, Dr. Halloway."

Adina shook his hand. "Thank you, Agent Coulson. I'll work as quickly as I can."

With that, Agent Coulson nodded to the two agents staying behind and left her office with the third agent. She turned to them and gave a weak smile.

"Well then, let's get started."

* * *

The two agents helped Adina carry all of her things down to one of the university's labs. Not knowing how much time she had to figure this out, she wanted to get started right away.

"So," she began, turning to face the two agents, "which one of you is which? Agent Coulson didn't really give me a chance to officially meet you."

The female agent stepped forward with an outstretched hand. "Agent Jemma Simmons," she introduced herself with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've read your work, and I'm really looking forward to working with you."

Adina shook the woman's hand, taking the chance to assess her. She was young, that was for sure; she couldn't be any more than 25 or 26 years old. Small features adorned a pretty face, and although she didn't seem like she could do much physical damage, she was clearly very bright. She was probably some sort of prodigy in her field for S.H.I.E.L.D. to have brought her on so young. Adina could feel her genuine excitement about the work ahead. The other agent, however, didn't seem to be too impressed with Agent Simmons' over enthusiasm.

She turned to shake the other agent's hand. "You must be Agent Ward, then."

He nodded, shaking her hand in a firm grip. "Agent Grant Ward."

_Now this guy I could see doing some damage, _Adina thought. He was tall, well built and obviously physically strong. He was attractive, but with his face set as seriously as it currently was, he was just plain intimidating. _I see why they put him on security detail._

She turned back to the enthusiastic young woman. "We'd better get to work, Agent Simmons."

They spent the first few hours just going through the information that S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided while Agent Ward kept watch. Adina had Agent Simmons go through the blood toxicity readings to determine the rate of infection, giving her an indication as to how much time she had before Tony Stark landed himself a very expensive funeral. She went through his medical history, paying special attention to his "heart condition" (as it had been so eloquently diagnosed, probably by Tony himself) and any other damage he received during his time in Afghanistan.

The information only got her so far, though, and so Adina pulled one of the blood samples and placed it under the microscope. Most of the blood cells were tainted an unhealthy grey colour, while others were oddly shaped and prevented proper flow. With Agent Simmons' help, she tested several chemicals on the blood, none of which were effective; either they're effects weren't strong enough to do any real healing or they didn't last long enough. Metal detoxification was already a tricky task, but with _palladium_? Apart from dentistry, no one had ever used palladium in the body, and so there hadn't been any real scientific studies into its potential toxicity. Since no one had ever had this illness before, Adina would have to properly diagnose the infection before she could actually go on curing it.

Agent Simmons jumped at the sound of Dr. Halloway's cry of frustration and the subsequent thud of her head hitting the desk. "Um… Doctor?" she asked hesitantly.

Adina rose from her chair and started pacing the room anxiously. She removed her glasses and furiously rubbed at her eyes and temples, perhaps hoping to force the answer out of her head.

Agent Simmons gave Agent Ward a worried look across the room. He simply shrugged; he was as confused as she was. "Doctor, perhaps we should call it a day," Agent Simmons offered. "You don't seem to be able to focus at the moment."

Adina stopped her pacing and took a deep breath. "No, no it's fine," she replied. She pulled her long black hair back into a ponytail and went to sit back down, ready for a second exercise in futility. "I can do this; I'll be fine," she said, giving the female agent a hard look, as though it would help prove her point.

However, Agent Simmons didn't respond. Instead, Adina watched as a look of confusion grew on the woman's face.

"Doctor… Excuse my curiosity but… are your eyes… purple?"

Dr. Halloway paled.

_Damn it._

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**A/N: Uh oh, you dun messed up, Adina. Sorry if she seems like kind of a pointless brick right now, I really just needed to get her working on the project. You'll get to know her better starting next chapter, promise! Don't know if anyone caught the double meaning of the title, but if you did then YAY, gold star for you!**

**OH YEAH! Interesting fact, I actually didn't make up Agent Jemma Simmons or Agent Grant Ward. Those two are main characters in the upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series (and Agent Simmons actually does work in life sciences). I just really wanted to incorporate them and give them an MCU welcome.**

**Updates should be a bit faster from now on. Ideally, I'll never exceed a one week wait. REVIEW!**


	3. Solutions

Solutions

_If a man has done his best, what else is there?  
__~General George S. Patton_

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_**June 1988  
**__**New York**_

"_Scott, what if people notice?" she asked. The 7-year-old Adina stuck close to the older boy, clutching his hand as though her life depended on it. _

"_We'll be fine, Adina," Scott replied, trying to calm her nerves as they entered the department store. "Plus, that's what we're here for, right? We'll get you a cool pair of glasses and people won't even notice your eyes."_

_He brought her over to the sunglasses rack and started looking for some her size. Adina looked into one of the wall mirrors, gazing worriedly at the reflection of her abnormal violet eyes._

"_Are you sure?" she asked._

"_Well, it seems to work pretty well for me, right?" he replied._

_He was right. Scott was always right._

_Adina hesitantly let go of his hand and moved to look at the various styles. She tried on a pair of shutter shades that she couldn't see through and Jackie O sunglasses that covered the better part of her face. Eventually, she found a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators that looked just like the ones Scott wore, save for their colour. She put them on and looked up at him for input, only to see him holding back his laughter. Adina scowled at him before looking into one of the mirrors and understanding his mirth: she looked absolutely ridiculous in the giant shades._

_Scott took the oversized glasses off her face and replaced them with a small child's pair. They fit her face properly, but the obnoxiously pink frame stood out too much for her liking and the hard plastic arms scratched her head. She looked back at Scott accusingly. _

"_Hey, you don't have to wear them all the time," he laughed. "At least you'll be able to take them off without laser beams shooting out of your eyes."_

_Adina couldn't quite bring herself to laugh as he did. She knew Scott was just trying to make her feel better, but she also knew how much misery his ability actually caused him. She didn't like how alone he was with it._

_She looked up at him. "I'm gonna wear them all the time, like you."_

_Scott stopped laughing and looked down at Adina with a face she couldn't read. He came down to her height, kneeling in front of her and taking her small hands in his own._

"_I only wear these glasses all the time because I have to, because people can get hurt if I don't. You don't have to worry about that kind of thing."_

"_But people look at me funny," she said in defense. "They think my eyes are weird."_

"_There are always going to be people who think we're strange, Adina. You've just got to do your best to ignore them. They don't get it."_

_She looked around warily at the strangers in the store. No one was looking at her now, but the moment she removed the sunglasses there was a risk. There was a risk of being seen. There was a risk of being different._

"_If it means anything," Scott added. "I like your eyes a lot."_

_She blushed. 'If it means anything?' It meant everything to hear someone say that. It meant everything coming from him._

"_As a matter of fact," he said with a small smile, "it kind of makes me sad that you'd want to hide them."_

_Adina's head snapped back to look at Scott. Sad? She didn't want him to be sad! She thought for a moment before removing the glasses and putting them back on the rack. Scott's smile grew._

"_Now listen: yes, people might notice your eyes, and they might get really curious about them. But all you have to do is act like it's nothing different. You're the same as any other person, you just have a little something more."_

_He was right. Scott was always right._

* * *

**May 2010  
****Columbia University  
****New York**

Adina didn't know how long she was sitting there, staring blankly at the agent across from her, but she panicked upon realizing that she hadn't given an answer to the question. _Never leave them without an answer, that's the worst thing you can do._

She quickly collected herself. "Yes, Agent Simmons, I have violet irises," she replied with practiced professionalism. "As a matter of fact, it's one of the things that encouraged my interest in mutation. As with _heterochromia iridis_, it was likely caused by genetic mosaicism."

Perhaps it had sounded a bit rehearsed, but the answer seemed to satisfy Agent Simmons well enough, and for that Adina was relieved. Although she thought her eyes stood out easily against her tan skin, people rarely noticed them nowadays – when she wore her glasses, as she often did, people easily mistook them for a grey or blue colour. Just in case, though, she had practiced answers for any and all curious questions. She hadn't necessarily lied – the odd colour of her eyes was caused by a mutation – she simply hadn't elaborated on the extent of that mutation. That bit was often best kept secret. She thanked her lucky stars that her mutation affected so little of her appearance; at least she wasn't blue.

Before Agent Simmons could inquire further on the matter, Adina rose from her seat and began collecting her things. "Maybe it would be best if I headed home for the night. I'll start with fresh eyes tomorrow morning."

Agent Simmons looked to Agent Ward for his approval and the two began to pack up the S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment and files. They arranged to meet Adina outside the lab at 7:00am the next morning to begin work, and she left for the parking garage.

It was only while driving back to her apartment that Adina noticed her possibly dangerous mistake of leaving the two agents abruptly after the mention of her 'mutation'. _That was bound to be suspicious_, she thought. As she finally made it home and entered her apartment, she resolved to act as though the conversation had never taken place tomorrow. _Great,_ she thought, while flopping down onto her bed, _that'll probably seem just as suspicious._

* * *

Adina shot out of bed before her alarm even had a chance to go off. She ran around her apartment getting ready before running out the door and down to her car. An idea had come to her last night just before she had succumbed to sleep and, excited at the prospect of an answer, she rushed to the university as quickly as the speed limit would allow.

Arriving early, she was surprised to find the two agents already waiting for her in front of the lab. She offered a quick 'good morning' before entering the lab and getting to work.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Agent Simmons asked, noticing her flustered state. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"The blood toxicity rate, you calculated it yourself. You saw how quickly it spiked towards the most recent readings, right?"

Agent Simmons nodded slowly. "Yes, I did. We weren't sure why there wasn't a gradual change instead."

"Exactly," Adina replied. "For there to be that spike instead of gradual change, there would need to be some sort of stressor or causal agent. I was going over the general mechanics of Tony's arc reactor in my head last night, and I got to thinking about his use of the suit." She pulled up Tony Stark's file on the tablet to show Agent Simmons. "Look here: his use of the suit increased in recent months. That's the stressor. He's going through all that energy too quickly, it started depleting the palladium core at an accelerated rate. To top that off, the suit draws power away from the reactor's primary duty of keeping shrapnel and other magnetic compounds away from his heart. That could include the palladium that's powering it."

"So it's not necessarily the arc reactor that's the problem, it's the suit," Agent Simmons added.

"Right. That reactor should have lasted him plenty of time, but every time Tony uses the Iron Man suit, the palladium is allowed to creep into his body a little more."

"So if he just stopped using the suit, would his condition improve?"

"I doubt it. The condition has probably progressed too far for that to be a valid solution. Plus I doubt we could stop him from putting on the suit anyways," she added with a laugh. Tony Stark didn't seem like the type to take orders, even from a doctor. "We'll have to come up with a suitable compound that can abate the symptoms by counteracting the palladium poisoning and giving his heart a boost at the same time. Helping the blood flow might keep him healthy for a while longer."

Adina looked over to Agent Simmons, who seemed to still be processing everything she had thrown at her.

"Right then," Agent Simmons said, finally understanding, or perhaps giving up on trying to understand. "So, where do we start, exactly?"

They set to work on going through more compounds and chemicals, this time focusing on any that might benefit blood flow as well. They eventually managed to settle on two compounds with strong enough effects.

"The lithium dioxide seems to be most promising," Adina concluded after finishing tests on the blood samples.

"But Dr. Halloway, it doesn't last nearly as long," Agent Simmons objected. "Why not go with—"

"Because Mr. Stark's been doing his own chelation therapy," Adina interrupted, sighing in defeat. "He's been drinking chlorophyll to counter the effects, and I don't know how the other compound will react with it. So we're stuck with the lithium. Mr. Stark has screwed us over yet again."

"Well, technically he's screwed himself over," Agent Simmons offered, obviously trying to lighten her mood, but sadly not succeeding.

"But it's only _temporary_! S.H.I.E.L.D. asked me for a cure not a temporary solution!" Adina racked her brains looking for something, anything else. "This can't be it, but it's the best solution I've got."

"And it'll have to do, Dr. Halloway."

Adina whipped around to see Agent Coulson entering the lab. The other two agents rose to meet him.

"Agent Coulson, I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon."

"In all honesty, doctor, neither was I. However we just received intel from Ms. Rushman that has pushed up the deadline, so to speak. Whatever you've got for us, we'll take it. We can't afford any more time."

Adina was beyond flustered as she tried to collect a vial of the lithium dioxide. She had run out of time. Sure, the serum would ease the symptoms, but she hadn't come up with a solid cure and could only see failure. She handed the vial over to Agent Coulson.

"Thank you for everything, doctor," he said, shaking her hand. "Your cooperation has been much appreciated."

Agent Ward and Simmons packed up the S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment before bidding her farewell, Agent Simmons taking a moment to shake her hand once more. As Agent Coulson turned to follow them out, Adina stopped him.

"Agent Coulson!" He turned back, giving her his attention. "Would you be able to update me on Mr. Stark's condition? I'd just like to know if the serum was of any help."

Agent Coulson gave a small smile. "We'll keep in touch, doctor."

And with that, he was gone. Adina stood alone in the lab feeling empty and nervous, but she was sure she would hear back from S.H.I.E.L.D. soon enough. After all, she had basically just invited them to contact her whenever they pleased.

It was getting hard to keep track of how many stupid mistakes she had made this week.

* * *

**A/N: UGH! FREAKING MARVEL! I tried to remain as scientifically accurate as I could, but sadly I had to bend the rules thanks to Marvel. Because, you know, creating a lithium dioxide compound is actually impossible, and toxins from metal poisoning would probably be found in tissues of the body not blood, and so much more nonsense.**

**Sorry if the second part of this chapter went by too quickly, but this Saving Tony arc (haha puns are great) could have gone on way too long if I didn't step it up. And frankly, any longer and the story might get boring: I aim to keep you interested and entertained!**

**Thank you TokyoGirl7 and Anna for your reviews! And I'm glad you are enjoying the doctory-ness of it all Anna, so happy I can appeal to specific interests like that!**

**Please review and ask questions if you have any!**


	4. Secrets

**A/N: Thanks for the faves and follows and reviews! :D**

**Disclaimer Update: Not only do I not own the MCU or its characters, but I also don't own the X-Men or its characters. :(**

* * *

Secrets

_Secrets are an interesting paradox: everyone has them, everyone wants to know them, but nobody wants them to be discovered. ~Setsana_

* * *

**May 2010**  
**New York**

Adina lay awake in her bed, staring at the stark white ceiling of her bedroom. She'd thought it wise to take the day off of work after mentally exhausting herself for the last two days. Stretching, she rose from her bed and went to stand by her window that overlooked the city, taking in the masses of people hurrying to work. It was still early, the sun just starting to rise somewhere behind the tall buildings, and she took a moment to just stop and think. She instantly regretted the idea upon remembering the dissertation that still lay unfinished on her computer at work, and her seemingly-never-to-be-fully-researched-or-proven Mutant Gene Theory, and the unknown status of Tony Stark's health, and the phone call she had yet to receive from S.H.I.E.L.D., and—

Feeling herself start to lose control in her own panic, Adina wrenched herself from the window and moved quickly to her mirror. Her violet eyes held an unnatural vibrancy and she snapped them shut quickly. _No, calm down,_ she instructed herself. _Breathe, Adina, breathe._ She could feel her stress, her frustration, her panic begin to radiate off of her. _Breathe, keep it in, don't lose control, _she repeated. Taking deep breaths, she finally began to feel herself calming down. It was a few minutes before she slowly opened her eyes again, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing them back to their natural hue. _Close call._

She'd dealt with mutation almost her entire life, but nowadays it started to worry her. A single mutation was a simple enough concept – it could be honed and mastered with time and practice – but a secondary one was troublesome at best. Since the emergence of her empathy a few years ago, Hank had constantly assured her that it was a perfectly natural occurrence that she could handle. But, although Adina had made progress in controlling it, it still took its toll on her. Sometimes she could barely contain her own emotions let alone keep others at bay. She did her best to keep away from frenzied crowds and heated arguments, but she leaved in New York City; crowds were practically part of the landscape.

The sound of her phone ringing snapped her out of her reflection and had her sprinting to her nightstand to grab it.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Halloway," the familiar voice came over the receiver.

"Agent Coulson," she greeted in kind, "I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon." She had expected the anxiety of waiting for this phone call to last more than one day. "How did it go? Was the lithium effective?"

"It was," Agent Coulson confirmed. "It eased Mr. Stark's symptoms and has provided him with the energy to start working on a new arc reactor, one that hopefully won't be quite so poisonous."

Relief flooded through Adina: it had worked. "That's good to hear. It's only a temporary solution though, and I don't know how long it'll last in the body. He'd better solve his arc reactor problem quickly, before the effects wear off."

She could practically hear Agent Coulson smirk as he spoke. "Don't worry, doctor, I'll be making sure he stays on task. In the meantime, the Director would like to speak with you."

_Oh no, here comes the catch._ "Oh… Um… Alright, I suppose. Put them on."

"Not over the phone," he corrected, "in person."

Adina froze. In person? Why in person? What did this Director need that couldn't be said over the phone? It was like being sent to the professor's office all over again: she didn't know why she was being summoned, but worst case scenarios kept popping into her head.

"He'll be joining you at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Central base in New York at two o'clock," Agent Coulson continued. "We'll send someone to the university to take you there."

"I'm not at the university right now. I've taken the day off."

"Even better. An agent will be coming to collect you in four hours."

She didn't bother asking if they knew where to find her, the answer to that seemed obvious enough. "Alright, I'll be ready. Goodbye, Agent Coulson." She went to end the call.

"And doctor," she heard him add, quickly bringing the phone back to her ear, "thank you for all of your hard work." He hung up.

Adina couldn't help but smile a little: she had done well.

* * *

Four hours later, Adina found herself pacing her apartment, going through every scenario and possible outcome of the meeting at hand. She wanted to be ready for prying and curious questions; no doubt the two agents that had supervised her before had reported back information about her. She finally heard a knock and went to answer it, opening the door to reveal one of said agents.

"Agent Ward, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise, Dr. Halloway," the man replied.

Adina grabbed her jacket, locking the door behind her before following him to the elevator. The ride down was silent and awkward, Agent Ward remaining reserved the entire time. A sleek black Acura TL awaited them outside, its front doors branded with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s insignia. They got into the car and started down the road. Adina watched Agent Ward out of the corner of her eye and took the opportunity to try and get some answers.

"So," she started, "they've got you on chauffeur duty now. That doesn't seem quite fair."

The edge of his mouth quirked briefly. "Perhaps from your perspective, no it doesn't. But jobs like this are more important than you might think."

"Jobs like this?"

"Escort, bodyguard, whatever you'd like to call it. It's an important job; I take it very seriously."

"I see. And what exactly do I need guarding from?" she inquired further.

He spared a glance in her direction, by now understanding that she was digging for information. "Nothing in particular, but we prefer not to take the risk of being unprepared. If you have any other questions, I'm sure Director Fury will answer them when you meet with him."

Adina let out a nervous laugh. "I'm meeting with someone named 'Director _Fury_'? That's not intimidating at all…"

Agent Ward cracked another small smile. "A word of advice," he said, "don't mention the eye patch."

* * *

She was surprised to discover that S.H.I.E.L.D. Central lay directly within Times Square. It was a simple structure with metallic grey walls and several windows; it looked like any other corporate building. _Hidden in plain sight, _she thought. Adina was led down hallways that all looked the same before being left to wait in a large concrete room. The room was relatively dark, the scarce amount of light concentrated on a single table in the centre with a chair on either side. A single file folder rested in the middle of the table, but she thought it wise to leave it be. Impossibly thin computer screens surrounded the table, and she sat down gazing at them curiously. She wondered just how much information they held, how much S.H.I.E.L.D. really knew about her, about everyone.

"Something on your mind, doctor?" a booming voice asked from somewhere in the shadows of the room. Adina looked up to see a figure emerge from the other side of the room and approach the table. The man was tall and dark-skinned, an eye patch covering his left eye and a long black trench coat draped over his frame. But what caught her attention was the aura that he brought with him; the man felt in control, and as a result exuded a sense of power. She made a point of mentally reaching out and borrowing from it, taking in that feeling of control to calm her own nerves.

"Just curious about the purpose of this meeting," she replied with confidence. "Agent Coulson didn't exactly elaborate over the phone."

"We'll get there, doctor," he said, taking a seat. "But first, I don't believe we've been properly introduced. General Nick Fury," he offered his hand, "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Adina knew he was trying to intimidate her with his status, but refused to fall prey to the tactic. "Dr. Adina Halloway," she replied, returning the handshake, "but you already knew that."

Director Fury smirked at her gall. "Indeed, I did." He opened up the file folder that lay before them. "Dr. Adina Halloway, born to Mark and Helen Halloway on October 10th 1980. Attended Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, where you eventually graduated prematurely with a Bachelor of Science." Adina tried to settle her unease as he continued to peruse through the intimate details of her life. "Attended Culver University, where you received a Masters in Chemistry and a PhD in Biophysics, participating in the newly revived Bio Force Enhancement Project. Left Culver to study at Columbia University by recommendation of Professor Charles Xavier, earned an additional PhD in Genetics and an MD and went on to have one of the most successful and short-lived surgical careers of all time."

Adina was beginning to have a hard time holding his gaze as he gave her a stern look with his one eye. "Care to explain what you're doing hiding out as a research professor, Dr. Halloway?"

"I've been trying to further my research and complete my theories on the potential benefits of the mutant gene," she answered squarely.

"Mm-hmm," Fury grunted, leaning back in his chair. "And how's that going for you?"

She broke eye contact with him. "Fine, I suppose. It might be going better if I hadn't been interrupted with the additional project you gave me."

"Not a project, doctor. A test."

Adina looked at the Director suspiciously. "A test for what?"

"To see just what you were capable of," he replied slowly, leaning forward in his chair to bring himself frighteningly close as he rested his elbows on the table.

"Tell me, doctor; how much do you know about the Super-Soldier Serum?"

* * *

**A/N: I love writing Nick Fury and Agent Coulson so much. They are just the best. And remember in Iron Man 2, when Nick Fury tells Tony he's gotta leave for his "two o'clock meeting"? Yup, Adina was totally his two o'clock. ;)**

**So yes, Adina has a mutation! And a secondary mutation! Which actually really sucks for her but hey, I control the story. As should be obvious, empathy is her secondary mutation. I have yet to reveal her primary one, but I've hinted at it: see if you can guess.**

**Sorry this one took so long. I had to figure out where I'd cut it off, plus I have my new story **_**Survive**_** up, so if you're a Walking Dead fan check it out.**

**Thank you for your continued support! Reviews let me know what you think and are the best motivation, so please review! :D**


	5. All For The Cause

**A/N: Additional reference that I forgot to add last note – Nick Fury says that Adina later attended Columbia University "by recommendation of Professor Charles Xavier". In the comics, Professor X was a Columbia Alumn and former visiting professor, hence his recommendation being useful to her.**

* * *

All For The Cause

_A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. ~John C. Maxwell_

* * *

**_January 2006_**  
**_Culver University_**  
**_Willowdale, Virginia_**

_Adina quickened her pace to keep up with the man ahead of her. "Dr. Banner, are you sure about this?" she asked him worriedly._

_Dr. Bruce Banner came to a stop, turning to meet her with an amused expression. "Honestly Adina, you're worse than Betty."_

_"I know, I'm sorry. It's just… I know that you've gone over everything a hundred times, and testing is the only way we'll get any further, but this is gamma radiation! If this goes wrong, you've got maybe a 10% chance of long-term survival!"_

_"9% actually." He smirked at her annoyed expression. "I know my gamma radiation."_

_"And you're okay with that?!" she cried in shock._

_"We need results, Adina, or the funding stops and all of that hard work goes nowhere. I appreciate your concern, I do, but I know what I'm doing; we all know what we're doing, including you. That's why you're here; anything goes wrong and I'll have my best hope of surviving as the first person on the scene. I wouldn't have asked you here if I thought it was something you couldn't handle."_

_She shot him a weak glare. "You also wouldn't have asked me here if it was something that didn't need handling."_

_"Call it a necessary precaution. Trust me," he said, grasping her shoulders and giving her a hard stare, "everything's going to be fine."_

_After a few seconds, Adina heaved a sigh, feeling her resolve crumble. "If you say so."_

_"Good," he said with a smile. "Now I know you're nervous, but I can't have you panicking and worrying Betty, so deep breath."_

_She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, feeling him do the same, before letting it out slowly. She looked up at Dr. Banner and put on her best brave face. They entered the lab to find several soldiers standing guard and Dr. Betty Ross finishing the last of the preparations. Adina busied herself as the two shared a moment before Dr. Ross eventually led Dr. Banner to the radiation area and strapped him into the chair, giving him a chaste kiss and returning to the observation area. General Thaddeus Ross entered moments later, giving his daughter the go-ahead to begin._

_"Ready?" Betty asked._

_Adina situated herself in front of the screens tracking Dr. Banner's vitals. "As I'll ever be," she replied._

_"Adina," Betty called, taking the woman's hand and giving it a small squeeze, "thank you for being here."_

_Adina, still as inwardly panicked as she was, could only offer a nod in reply._

_It happened so quickly: the gamma treatment began, the vitals spiked, the doctor began convulsing, the machines started to overheat and then—_

_The testing area exploded, throwing the two women and surrounding soldiers to the ground as the observation window shattered. Adina got up enough strength to crawl over to the unconscious Dr. Ross and check on her, trying to wake her up and help her away from the chaos._

_A terrifying roar shook the building. A giant form tore into the observation room. Great glowing eyes scanned around the room before landing on her and Betty._

_"Dr. Banner?" she whimpered._

_Green was the last thing she saw before everything went black._

* * *

**May 2010**  
**S.H.I.E.L.D. Central**  
**New York**

Adina tried to maintain her composure as she responded to the Director. "The Bio Force Enhancement Project told me everything I need to know about it. The Super Soldier Serum of today is a parody of Dr. Erskine's work. It's unstable, it's dangerous, it's—"

"Incomplete," Director Fury finished for her.

She shot the Director a glare. "The formula _was_ complete as far as we knew. It just… It just wasn't _right_."

"So you mean this _wasn't_ your ideal finished product?" he said sarcastically, pulling a small remote out of his pocket and pushing a button. All of the screens surrounding the table lit up at once, and she understood all too well what he was showing her: military reports, decimated landscapes, news headings about sightings of a "green sasquatch" and the remains of the radiation lab at Culver University. The Hulk.

"May I remind you, Director, that I wasn't spearheading the project. The man who was had the right idea – the right equation – just the wrong variable."

"And now he's a fugitive."

"Only because the military turned him into one. He _had_ to go into hiding. People wouldn't be very accepting of someone with his… condition."

"And what about people with your condition?" he questioned, holding her gaze. "The world's not exactly accepting of them either."

It took Adina a second to realize what the Director had done. _How the hell did he even…? Where did that come from? Weren't we talking about the Super Soldier Serum? Damn snake led me right into it. _She came out of her stupor, finding her voice. "How do you—"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. knows a lot more than you think, Doctor," Director Fury replied, looking awfully satisfied. "And believe it or not, you're not the first mutant we've encountered. But allow me to skip to the point of this meeting: I want you to work for S.H.I.E.L.D."

She blinked in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently in the process of acquiring the last of the variations of Dr. Erskine's serum. We would like you to be the one to work with the formula, to make it something useful for a change."

_These guys are unbelievable_, she thought. "I don't know if you've been paying attention," she said, gesturing to the evidence on the screens, "but the last time I signed onto the Soldier Steroid project, I ended up aiding in the creation of an angry green rage monster."

"Which is exactly why we're asking for your help: we don't want a repeat of the Hulk, nor do we want to weaponize this serum. It will be strictly under your control, used only for your medical purposes, not warfare. You knew about the potential of the serum all along, otherwise I don't think you would have signed onto the BFE Project at all. Erskine's formula is the closest mankind has ever gotten to achieving peak human condition, and I believe your current work is the next big step. We can offer you the privacy and protection that you need to complete your work."

"Sounds a little too good to be true."

"Perhaps, but it's really the only valid option you have right now." Director Fury sat back in his chair and awaited her response.

_He has a point. If I ever expect to get the Mutant Gene Theory to work, I'm going to need a suitable formula to actually graft the genes within the human body. If I could just refine and modify Erskine's formula, it might have a chance. _She audibly sighed."So what's the catch?" she inquired.

Director Fury replied with the same smug look as before. "In return for your access to the formulas, we'd also like you to function as a medical specialist here."

Adina was confused. "Isn't that what I'm doing?"

"Practical medicine, doctor," he corrected. "I can't say how often you'll be needed, but should the occasion arise where an agent requires surgical or otherwise important medical attention, we'd like you to take on that position."

"You want me back in surgery? I suppose the general hospital just isn't quite the S.H.I.E.L.D. way to do things," she scoffed.

"I don't have much patience for hospitals, and having an in-house doctor keeps us away from any prying questions about how my agents sustained their injuries."

_Makes sense, _she thought. _Not like I'm unfamiliar with the old 'it's too risky for us to go to a public hospital' situation._

"The university won't be very happy with my resignation," she argued.

"I'm sure they'll manage with one less research professor," he replied. "So, do we have a deal?"

Adina tried to think of a reason not to go with it, but she ultimately failed. The Mutant Gene Theory was her main concern right now, and if S.H.I.E.L.D. could bring her one step closer to its completion she was willing to take that chance.

She shook Director Fury's hand. "Deal."

"Welcome aboard, Dr. Halloway."

* * *

**A/N: ****I felt I should show some Fury manipulation, because he actually is THE SPY, and deserves some appreciation. Also, calling him a snake was too hard to resist, because if he goes on the helicarrier, he'll totally be a Snake on a Plane.**

**Also, movieverse Bruce Banner makes me crazy because HE'S TWO DIFFERENT ACTORS! I think very visually, so that whole scene with Banner was torture because my mind kept bouncing between Ruffalo and Norton UGH.**

**There's another hint about Adina's primary mutation hidden in here. It shall be revealed VERY SOON. :D**

**Sorry I'm a day late on this one, I have several essays due for school.**

**Another Avenger enters next chapter. WOOT!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


	6. Batten Down The Hatches

**Disclaimer Update: Just thought I'd remind everyone that I continue to not own the MCU or X-Men franchise. If that changes, I'll let you know.**

**A/N: So sorry this one's late by a few days! I had a bunch of work to get done. But it's all done now so hopefully I'll get back to doing updates within a week. I offer you my longest chapter as compensation. Also, 27 FOLLOWS! *Performs happy dance* Yay! Thanks so much people, especially for the reviews. :D**

* * *

Batten Down The Hatches

_Why do bad things happen to such nice people...? ~Unknown_

* * *

**May 2010**  
**S.H.I.E.L.D. Central**  
**New York**

Director Fury certainly made quick work.

It had only been three days since their meeting, and Adina was already being situated within S.H.I.E.L.D. She had put in her resignation at the university, packing up her files and equipment with some help from Lily before offering her brief goodbyes. She had been more attached to her work than the university itself, and considering her lack of socializing in her research position, she had very few goodbyes to give.

Arriving back at S.H.I.E.L.D., she had been given the grand tour of the facilities, or at least the areas she was permitted to use. The building was only a few floors high, but had several subbasements deep underground. _Just like home,_ she had thought. Agent Simmons, expressing her happiness at Adina's acceptance to join S.H.I.E.L.D., gladly showed her the infirmary before taking her to her new office. The room, located two floors below ground, was a generous space connected to a fully-stocked lab. Behind the back wall of the lab lay a hidden storage unit filled with the promised Super Soldier Serum variants in disturbingly high quantity. She was glad at least that they were protected – a code, fingerprint and retinal scan were required to gain any entry.

Despite her eagerness to get to work on the formulas, she had barely been given a chance to sit down – security codes and clearances had to be given, some introductions had to be made, and more contracts had to be signed – and only now was she able to get to work. Adina gazed longingly at the hidden storage unit on the back wall. _No, not yet, you've got homework_, she reminded herself. And so, frowning, she typed her security code into the computer at her new desk and began studying the specifics of the first of the serum variants.

Just 67 more to go…

* * *

Thirteen hours later, Adina dragged herself back into her apartment, tripped out of her shoes and collapsed onto her couch. She had spent the entire day pouring over notes, formulas, images, and videos that dated as far back as the 1940s, and yet had only gotten through the first four serums. Four. At this rate, she wouldn't be getting anywhere near the actual things for another three weeks.

She screamed into the cushion that her face was currently pressed into before unceremoniously rolling off of the couch and trudging her way over to the kitchen. She made up a bowl of leftover spaghetti and threw it in the microwave, going to turn on the TV while she waited for her dinner. She flicked through the channels mindlessly; reruns, reruns, reality show, nature channel, reruns. Eventually Adina just switched to the 11 o'clock news, entertaining herself with the pointless banter of the news reporters, as she retrieved her dinner and flopped back onto the couch. She closed her eyes and let the information from the day run through her mind: images of grotesque beings, trial and error test results, several death certificates, names of scientists involved and their related work, scientific notes—

"_**Rumours continue to swirl about a violent clash between forces of the US military and an unknown adversary on the campus of Culver University earlier today**_**."**

Adina's eyes shot open and were immediately glued to the television as she scrambled for the remote to turn up the volume.

"_**Sophomores Jack McGee and Jim Wilson witnessed some of the battle**_**."**

"_**It was so big. It was like this huge… like hulk**_**."**

_Oh God, no…_

"_**McGee, who happens to be a reporter for the campus paper, captured this on his cell phone."**_

Adina had to force herself to watch as the shaky video of the US military firing rounds at the hulking mass came onscreen. _Bruce._

"_**Further search for the mysterious hulk was postponed by powerful thunderstorms in the Smokey Mountain National Forest."**_

The report ended and she shut off the television, staring at the blank screen, unable to move. _Bruce, what are you doing?_ She couldn't believe he had come back to the US, come back to Culver of all places. _There has to be a good reason, he wouldn't have risked it without a good reason. He wouldn't have put Betty in danger like that without a good reason_. She stopped then: Betty. Was Betty okay? No doubt the Hulk would keep Bruce from any physical injuries, but the same couldn't be said for the female scientist. Adina ran for the phone, her fingers trembling as she struggled to dial the number.

Someone answered after three rings. "Hello?" A male voice asked.

She kept her voice even as she spoke. For all she knew, it could be General Ross on the line. "Yes, hello, may I speak to Dr. Betty Ross please?" She hoped that he missed the catch in her voice as her nerves got the better of her.

"Who is this?"

She could lie, but he could hang up. "This is Dr. Halloway. I'm just calling back in response about some—"

"Adina Halloway?" the man interrupted.

"Yes, Dr. Adina Halloway. And to whom am I speaking?"

"Oh thank goodness. Adina it's me, Leonard Samson."

"Leonard! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize your voice. I thought maybe you were… someone else."

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you called. Listen, do you… do you know where they are? Nevermind that, just… is she safe?"

"Leonard, I don't know where they are. I just saw the news and called to ask you the same questions. What happened?"

"Betty found Bruce on the road yesterday. He stayed the night and she left with him this morning but I… I was just so worried…"

"Leonard," she began quietly, "what did you do?"

There were a few moments of silence as he no doubt debated on what to tell her. "I called the General."

"Oh my God."

"I know that it was the wrong thing to do, I know that now. I was worried for her safety – for _our_ safety. You of all people should know that I had every reason to be concerned; you were there the first time it happened." He had a point; she knew firsthand what Bruce was capable of – what the Hulk was capable of. "But I know now that I was wrong, Adina. When the military attacked him at the University, Betty was right in the middle of things, and they didn't let up for one second. But that thing – Bruce – he protected her."

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know, but I think so. He took off with her; I couldn't tell if she was alive or uninjured from a distance."

Adina took a deep breath. "She's safe."

"What? How can you know?"

"If she's with Bruce, she's safe. Trust me, Leonard, Bruce won't let anything happen to Betty. And neither will the Hulk."

Leonard let out a frustrated sigh. "I hope you're right."

"I am," she replied confidently. "Goobye, Leonard. Call me if anything happens."

"I will. Goodbye, Adina." He hung up.

Adina replaced the phone on the charger and slowly went about her business of preparing for bed. There was nothing she could do now but worry. Betty was with Bruce, that meant she was safe, but it also meant there was no way to contact her. Bruce had been a fugitive for some time; he knew how to stay off the radar. She lay awake in bed for a while before the exhaustion of the day set in and any thoughts of her friends drifted into darkness.

* * *

Four o'clock in the morning was an ungodly hour to wake someone up, but apparently the person knocking on her door thought otherwise.

Adina rolled out of bed and pulled on a housecoat before moving to answer the door. A young woman with long red hair and big blue-grey eyes awaited her on the other side.

"Something I can do for you this fine morning?" she ground out.

"I'm sorry for the early hour, Doctor Halloway, but this is a S.H.I.E.L.D. emergency," the woman said, pulling out a S.H.I.E.L.D. ID that Adina couldn't read with bleary, sleep-heavy eyes. "We believe you may be in danger, Doctor. I'll brief you on the way. Right now I need you to pack a bag; you'll be staying at Central for a few days."

"I don't suppose I have a say in this, huh?"

"I have orders to bring you back to Central by any means necessary, but frankly I don't think either of us are in the mood to do things the hard way right now."

She reached out with her empathy and pushed past the woman's professional façade. _Frustrated, worn out, shaken._ "No, I don't think we are." She opened the door wider to let the woman in, closing it behind her. "I don't mean to be rude, but who are you? I couldn't make out your name without my glasses."

"Natasha Romanoff," she said, extending her hand. Adina shook it.

"Well, I'm sure it's a pleasure to meet you, Agent Romanoff, but given the hour you'll have to excuse my less than pleased attitude."

"I understand completely. This isn't exactly my idea of a fun night out either."

Adina gestured for Natasha to wait in the living room while she went to her room to pack a bag. She grabbed enough clothes and hygienic products for a week, making sure to throw in anything she would need for work, before returning to the agent with her things. For the second time this week, she was led down to the garage where a car waited for them.

"So what is this danger I'm in? Why does S.H.I.E.L.D. feel the need to keep me at the base?"

"You obviously saw the news," Natasha began, as they pulled out of the garage. "The incident at Culver was catastrophic to say the least. I saw it, I was there." _That explains why she's shaken up, _Adina thought, noticing a couple of cuts on her hands. "We've tracked the militaries movements, cyber or otherwise. It seems they've figured out Dr. Banner's next move: he's headed to New York."

Adina's heart stopped. "He's coming here?" _Why would he risk that? Why isn't he leaving the country?  
_

"He's looking for a cellular biologist: Samuel Sterns. We don't have any reason to believe he's trying to see you. However, General Ross might think differently."

"What? Why?"

"Like I said, we've been logged into their systems. Some time before midnight, they traced a call you made to Betty Ross' home phone. The conversation you had with Leonard Samson might lead them to think that you know where they are, or that you might offer him refuge. Either way, Ross and his soldiers will probably be on your doorstep soon enough."

_Damnit, how could I be so stupid? _Adina thought. _She's right, Ross will suspect me regardless of the evidence. I've just involved myself in all of this when I barely know what's going on._

"There's one more thing you might like to know," Natasha added. "They've enhanced one of their soldiers with a Super Soldier variant, and it seems to have been incredibly successful."

Adina perked up at that. "They have a successful Super Soldier?"

Natasha gave her a look. "Feeling a little more awake now, Doctor?"

* * *

**A/N: Bet you thought the Avenger appearance I mentioned last chapter would be Hawkeye, huh? WELL IT'S NOT! Sorry, that's just how this story is playing out... Or maybe I just like messing with you people. :P**

**A couple notes: the mention of Adina finding several death certificates during her homework session is, if you think about it, very plausible. We know Cap was a success, but consider all of the other test subjects. Whatever happened to them? Hard to think about. Also yes, Black Widow saw the Culver incident firsthand, as seen in the Avengers prelude comic **_**Fury's Big Week**_**.**

**Pretty Hulk-centric right now, I know, but not for much longer; bear with me. I've been looking ahead with ideas and I'm quite excited about some SHIELD and mutation stuff that will be happening. And of course our favourite archer.**

**And finally THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of your favourites and follows and feedback! So glad people are enjoying it! :D**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Under Watchful Eyes

**A/N: So this chapter is long overdue, sorry about that people. I had so much work to do, it was ridiculous. Thanks so much for the great response to the last chapter, I love knowing that you are all liking it so far. And thank you ginkies, zxnightfox and TokyoGirl7 for being my loyal Reviewers Three! :D**

**Hope this chapter makes up for my absence. Enjoy!**

* * *

Under Watchful Eyes

_I believe there is something out there watching us. Unfortunately, it's the government. ~Woody Allen_

* * *

**May 2010**  
**S.H.I.E.L.D. Central**  
**New York**

Although excited by the prospect of a living Super Soldier, Adina had collapsed upon arriving at S.H.I.E.L.D. Central. Natasha had shown her to a room on one of the subbasement floors - apparently used for housing agents - and left her to herself. It was only a few hours later that she awoke and realized she'd fallen asleep in the first place.

Changing into something clean, she started for her office before remembering the events of last night and setting off in search of Director Fury. _I can't just go back to work and pretend nothing strange is going on; I need answers._ It took three rounds through the labyrinth of hallways for her to realize she had no idea where she was going, or where she might even find Fury. She eventually made her way to her office floor and found an agent waiting at her door.

"Is there something I can help you with, agent?" she tried asking politely.

"Not really, no," the man replied. "I'm simply here for security purposes while Agent Romanoff is preoccupied."

"And why do I need security, exactly?"

"It's for your own safety, Doctor."

"Well, yes, that is the general idea of security, but I'm going to need a little more than that to go on."

"I'm afraid I'm not authorized to inform you any further on the matter, Doctor."

"Can you at least take me to someone who can, then? Where can I find Agent Romanoff?"

"She is currently preoccupied with a meeting, she can't speak with you right now."

"Fine, then take me to Director Fury."

"He is leading the same debriefing meeting."

"Sounds like the place I want to be, then."

"I'm sorry, Doctor, I can't take you there. It's best if you just return to your work." He returned to his position, standing guard at her door, clearly dismissing her and ending the conversation.

Adina sighed._ I shouldn't, but I need to know what's going on,_ she thought to herself. _Sorry, Professor, but even you've cheated a few times._ She looked back at the agent in front of her and focused in on his emotions, carefully forcing new ones upon him. _**Calm. Relaxed**_. She watched as his shoulders slackened from their squared position and he began to let his guard down.

"What's your name, agent?" she asked.

He looked at her as though he'd only just noticed she was there. He lacked the hard, determined look in his eyes that she'd seen before, and she felt somewhat guilty for having to use her mutation.

"Agent Brent Damais," he replied slowly.

"Agent Damais, I need to speak with Director Fury and Agent Romanoff. It's very important. Can you take me to where they're meeting, please?" _**Benevolence. Trust.**_

He smiled and nodded. "Of course, Doctor. This way."

He led her down the elevator and through a series of hallways while Adina did her best not to look so suspicious. She always felt as though people could tell when she influenced someone, and so attempted to keep her gaze serious. Agent Damais finally came to a stop in front of a heavy metal door.

"This is it. Would you like me to wait here for you?"

"Uh, no, that's fine, agent. You can return to your post, I suppose."

"Are you sure? Won't you need help finding your way back?"

"I'll be alright. Thank you, Agent Damais." He gave her a little smile and nod before heading back in the direction they came. She was all but certain that she wouldn't be able to find her way back, but she didn't want to risk getting the man in trouble for bringing her there.

Completely bypassing the idea of knocking, Adina entered her security code into the wall panel and marched into the room. She was momentarily distracted from her mission by the many screens in the room, the largest of which displayed images of ancient runes imprinted in sand and a great metal giant, spikes running along its shoulders and down its sides. Director Fury, Agent Romanoff, Agent Coulson and another man she didn't recognize were standing and sitting around the large table in the centre of the room. Their eyes all seemed to land on her simultaneously, the screens quickly switching off at the command of the remote in Coulson's hand.

"Doctor Halloway, what are you doing here?" Director Fury questioned, obviously none too pleased at her interruption.

"I was actually hoping you could answer that for me, Director," Adina shot back. "I think I'm due for a little more explanation as to what's going on."

Agent Romanoff shared a look with the man Adina didn't know and waited for a reaction from Fury, but it was Coulson who spoke up first.

"I'll have Agent Sitwell continue monitoring this situation," he told Fury.

Fury turned his attention back to his second-in-command. "And you're certain you don't need any backup?"

"At this point, it's just research. We've got everything under control."

Fury seemed satisfied. "Good. Have Sitwell report directly to me if anything happens."

"Yes, sir." With that, Agent Coulson left the room, quietly greeting her as he passed by.

Director Fury returned his attention to her. "For future reference, Doctor, it's common courtesy to knock on a door before entering a room."

"Well, considering you had me dragged down here at four in the morning, I figured we were suspending common courtesy." The man standing behind Fury smirked.

"I believe Agent Romanoff explained the circumstances under which you're being held here."

"Agent Romanoff explained why you _brought_ me here. She left out the part about me being _held_ here. Why do I have a guard in front of my door?"

"It's just a precaution."

Adina was getting irritated. "No, bringing me here to keep me out of General Ross' reach was the precaution. Am I supposed to believe there's a guard at my door just in case Ross manages to break into S.H.I.E.L.D., penetrate the lower levels and find my office? I doubt that. There's something you're not telling me."

Director Fury's lip quirked for the slightest second. "You have good instincts, Dr. Halloway. The additional security isn't there so much to keep Ross from getting in as it is to keep you from getting out. We don't want you to go out looking for Dr. Banner and getting yourself more involved than you need to be. If he's able to find a cure for his 'condition', then we'd like to let that happen without you getting in the way."

"A cure? Is that what he's coming here for? What if this 'cure' just makes his condition worse?"

"Then he'll have led us right to the person responsible for manufacturing it, and we can ensure that he doesn't make any more."

They were using him, she realized. They needed to retrieve any more variant samples of the serum – the samples that _she_ needed to work with – in order to put an end to their creation and any dangerous results. But this was all at the risk of Bruce's life, and that's why they wanted her under lockdown: her concern for him could jeopardize their mission.

She suddenly remembered something that Natasha had mentioned last night. "What about the successful Super Soldier? The one working under General Ross? Where are those samples, or where is he for that matter?"

Fury looked to Natasha for a response. "The Hulk took him down pretty badly," she said. "We haven't gotten word on if he's alive or not, but we're working on obtaining the samples."

"Now if you're finished arguing, Dr. Halloway, you may want to get back to work; there might be some new samples added to your list very soon."

Grudgingly, reluctantly, Adina consented.

"Good. Agent Barton here will take you back to your office. He'll be acting as your bodyguard for now."

"I think you mean jailer."

"Call it whatever you like, Doctor. The point is, you won't be leaving his sight. Obviously Agent Damais wasn't successful at keeping you under watch, so congratulations, you've earned yourself one of my top agents."

Adina heaved a sigh as Agent Barton led her out of the room. Fury waited until the door closed behind them before turning to address Natasha.

"I'd like you to stay here at Central for a little while longer before you return to your mission."

"Sir?"

"I'd like you to interview Agent Damais with me; see how much he remembers about what she did to him."

"You think she used her mutation?"

He looked towards the door that Adina had just exited through.

"I think she used _one_ of them."

* * *

Adina kept her eyes ahead as she was led back through various hallways, only daring to sneak a few glances at her guide. He was admittedly attractive and had a slim but muscular build. As they came to her office, she brought up the question that had been on her mind the entire way there.

"Agent Damais said he was filling in for Agent Romanoff while she was in the meeting, so why isn't she the one on guard duty now?"

"Agent Romanoff is being sent back out into the field to complete her mission," he replied while gesturing for Adina to unlock the door with her passcode. "You're stuck with me, Doc. But don't worry, I'm excellent company." She looked back to see him grinning as she entered the room and took a seat at her desk.

"How do you figure?" she scoffed.

"Well, I'm way more fun than Tasha," he offered.

She had to smile at that, because he was probably right. Although the red-headed agent was generally kind, she seemed awfully... enthusiastic about and involved in her work, which may not have been so concerning if she weren't a highly skilled spy. But Agent Barton was far more laid back, and she appreciated that; it was turning out to be a hard quality to find in a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

"And apparently I'm pretty nice to look at," he continued, smirking. Adina let out a breathy laugh, realizing that she'd been staring at him during her quiet contemplation. He went to sit in one of the chairs across from her desk, and she noticed him wince as he did so.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm alright," he responded too quickly.

She watched as he adjusted himself in his seat. "And if I jabbed you in the side, would you continue to be alright?"

"Are you planning to jab me in the side?"

She rolled her eyes. "Technically, I'm the resident doctor here. If you have an injury, I'm kind of the person to tell."

He eventually gave in. "It's not very bad, just a minor impact wound." He tried to straighten himself again in an obvious attempt to show that he was fine, but only succeeded in aggravating the wound and wincing visibly once more.

"Well, it's clearly giving you trouble. At least let me look at it."

"Fair enough, you're the doctor."

They took the elevator up to the infirmary and entered one of the rooms. He took a seat on the table while she grabbed a pair of latex gloves. "I'll need you to lift your shirt." He did so, uncovering a bandaged area beneath it. Adina carefully peeled away the bandage to reveal a rather large scrape along the side of his torso.

"Minor impact wound?" she questioned in disbelief.

"I may have landed a little harder than I thought."

"You think? What happened?"

"I'm not sure how much I can tell you. We were in New Mexico on a mission, there was a… weapon that was fired, and I got thrown down by the blast."

"Well, whoever treated you did an okay job, but it looks like it could get infected. Probably some rocks or sand caught in the tissue while the skin is trying to heal. Why don't you lay down, this might take a little while."

He did as he was told and watched her grab some medical instruments as she got ready to work. "What's your name anyway, Doc? We weren't exactly properly introduced."

She returned to him with the equipment. "Dr. Adina Halloway."

"That's a mouthful. Mind if I stick to Doc?"

"I suppose. And how about you, Agent Barton? Any clever nicknames I should know about?"

He gave a short laugh. "Hawkeye."

* * *

**A/N: A wild Hawkeye appears! Yes, Clint is finally part of this story, let the Hunger Games begin! Bleh, okay, no more archery jokes. And more Adina mutation, with more to be seen next chapter! YAY!**

**Considering Clint only has about 13 minutes of screen time in **_**The Avengers**_** and maybe 2 minutes in **_**Thor**_**, I will be operating off of what I know about him from his cartoon and comic versions while still staying true to his MCU version. I don't have much to go on from the MCU, but from his behaviour I think I can do okay.**

**Relevant Notes: Most of you have probably noticed by now that Hawkeye was in **_**Thor**_**. I imagine that he would also have been present with the other agents when the Destroyer attacked, and so may have been caught in the blast. Also, Brent Damais is not an actual agent and will not appear in S.H.I.E.L.D. like the others; he's an OC of mine.**

**Thanks again for all the faves and follows! PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


	8. Different

**A/N: WOW! I've been gone a really long time. So sorry about that everyone! I'm just starting to get back into the swing of things now. Also 41 FOLLOWS AND 21 FAVOURITES! You people are the best, I'm glad you like it. Thanks again to my Reviewer's Three, your input is much appreciated. :D**

**Now, back to the story!**

* * *

Different

_Rocks in my path? I keep them all. With them I shall build my castle. ~Nemo Nox_

* * *

**May 2010  
****S.H.I.E.L.D. Central  
****New York**

Clint hissed in pain as Adina dug into the wounded flesh on his side, pulling out another rock fragment.

"Almost done," she reassured him, though she wasn't completely convinced herself. The process of cleaning his wound had taken quite some time. Some of the debris had been wedged deep under layers of the skin, forcing her to pry open the wound and pull them out. It was looking worse than when she had started, wet with fresh blood, but she couldn't risk leaving it unattended.

"Yeah, sure," Clint replied in a strained voice, "take your time."

She continued her work in silence, poking and prodding the skin, searching for more pieces.

"So, uh, how're you settling in, Doc?"

"You don't have to try to keep up a conversation if you're in pain, Agent Barton."

"No, no, it's fine. Helps me keep my mind off the fact that you're burrowing around under my skin."

Feeling apologetic for being so physically invasive, Adina indulged him. "Well, I've only been here a few days. Save for my office, my room and the infirmary, I barely know where anything is. I'm stuck doing homework before I can start working in the lab, and now Fury's got me under lockdown."

"It's just a safety precaution."

She scoffed. "That's what everyone keeps telling me. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Yeah, well, you're getting the protection whether you like it or not. You're an 'important asset'."

"You say that like I'm property now."

Clint smirked. "Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D." Adina rolled her eyes and got back to work.

"So what were you doing before all of this? Fury mentioned you were a scientist or something?"

"Research professor at Columbia University. Biophysics, chemistry, genetics, biological enhancement; I'm currently working on the potential medical benefits of the mutant gene."

"Sounds interesting."

"No need to mock me, Agent Barton."

"Clint."

She looked up from her work once more. "Sorry?"

"You don't have to keep calling me Agent Barton. Clint is fine." She nodded and made a mental note. "And I wasn't mocking you. It does sounds like some interesting work."

Adina couldn't help but laugh. "Didn't peg you as the science type, Clint."

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises." He made a pained noise as she dug back into the wound.

"And rocks," she added. "Or at least you were."

She felt him shift, trying to look at his injury. "You're done?"

"Well it looks like all the debris is out. I've just got to patch you up now."

Adina hesitated. Sure, she had used her mutation in the presence of normal people before, but she had been careful about it, making sure she never went too far. This was different. Fury knew about her mutation, he'd made a point of proving that during his little power play. But how much did his agents know? She didn't want to risk exposing herself. _But it is an ugly wound,_ she thought, her sympathy getting the best of her as she looked at the open wound. _It could take weeks to heal all the way, and that would just end up being more work for me. Plus, Fury's kept it secret, and I'm sure his minions would be too terrified to go against him._

"You alright there, Doc?"

She snapped out of it. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just lie back down and I'll clean this up."

Clint did as he was told and she got to work. Adina placed one hand gently on the skin beside the wound, the other hovering just above it, and concentrated. Healing others was an odd sensation; she was never sure if it was in her mind or her body, but she could _feel _the wound she was trying to heal, could feel the way the muscle tissue and skin was mangled, where each part was torn and each vein severed. As always, she became fixated, barely able to afford any attention to her other senses. She imagined each vein, each muscle, each shred of skin repairing itself, watching carefully as the body slowly wove itself back together. A slight ache found its way into her arms, the draining effects of her mutation taking its toll. Finally, she finished, the ugly scrape now a smooth patch of skin, with a slight pink tinge as the only sign that anything had happened to it.

Satisfied with the result, she pulled back to find Clint watching her with a startled look.

"Uh… no offense Doc, but what the hell was that?" He rose into a sitting position, feeling around where the wound had once been in fascination.

"I call it 'empathic regeneration'. It's my mutation; I can heal others to some extent."

"So that's what he meant," Clint said quietly.

"What?"

"Fury mentioned you were… different. He left out the details, but I'm starting to see what he meant."

"Different's a nice way to put it."

"Why is it 'empathic' regeneration?"

"When I heal people I sort of… connect with them. I can feel what's wrong, where the damage is, and then repair it. Depending on the severity of the injury, it takes a lot out of me, and it does have its limits." She raised her right hand, watching as it shook slightly. "Seems I'm a little out of practice."

She watched him as he processed everything. "I know it's a little strange, and I'm sorry I didn't ask for your permission before I just—"

"No, no, it's fine," he stopped her, "I've seen stranger. Trust me, this isn't so much strange as it is incredible."

Adina smiled sadly. "I'm glad you see it that way." _If only everyone else did..._

* * *

_**November 1986  
**__**Michigan**_

"_Mom, look!"_

_Adina ran through the house in search of her mother, nearly running into several items of furniture as she did so, barely able to contain her excitement._

"_What is it, sweetie?" A voice called from her parents' bedroom. She barged in to find her mother dabbing at a fresh scar on her arm. They'd been at it again. Helen Halloway was a smart woman, but not a particularly strong one, especially not in the presence of her husband. He was not a terribly angry man, but he did have bad days. And bad days meant more scars. Adina didn't like the scars._

_But now she could fix them. She could fix everything._

"_I learned how to do something today! I want to show you," Adina exclaimed, causing her mother to laugh at her fidgeting frame._

"_Alright, alright then. Show me."_

"_You have to close your eyes," she said, "it's a surprise."_

_Laughing, Helen obliged. She felt her daughter's small hand on her scarred arm, an odd sensation, and then nothing. The pain from the wound was gone. __**Oh God, please no. Not my daughter too.**_

"_Okay, open them!"_

_Helen looked in horror at the smooth skin of her arm; no sign of a scar._

"_Mom, why are you crying?"_

_She wiped at her face to find it indeed wet with tears. She grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and spoke the words she would never forget._

"_Adina, I know you think that was a good thing, but it's not. I need you to make sure you __**never**__ do that again, okay? Not in front of your friends, your father, not even when you're on your own."_

_Adina was confused. "I just wanted to help. Look, your scars are gone! And I can make sure they don't come back! I can—"_

"_NO ADINA! Never again, do you hear me? NEVER. AGAIN."_

"_But… but why?"_

"_Because this isn't a world for freaks."_

* * *

The next day, Adina was back in her office, pouring over notes on the 63 – make that 62 – serum variants she still had to go through. Clint sat in a chair to her left, using one of the spare lab tables to lay out all of his equipment. He had been balancing arrows and tightening bowstrings all afternoon, doing each chore diligently. For a while, she had watched him repeatedly fix and test the bow with great interest, before realizing she had her own work to do and returning to it. Since then, it had been relatively silent, with only the occasional sound of her flipping pages or him laying down another arrow.

"So does it only work on other people?" Clint asked, breaking the silence.

"Does what only work on other people?"

"Your mutation," he replied. "I was thinking about it. You said that it drains you, that it has its limits. So can you heal yourself, or does it only work on other people?"

"Observant of you. I'm starting to get why they call you Hawkeye."

"Well, that's part of the reason."

She laughed lightly. "I can only heal myself if the injury is minor. The regeneration isn't automatic, I have to consciously know what I'm doing, work through it like surgery. Anything too severe and I'd end up draining myself to death before ever finishing the repairs."

Clint just nodded and continued working on the bow.

"Thank you, by the way. I might have ended up stuck in the infirmary recovering if you hadn't helped."

"My pleasure," she said, smiling. It felt good to be helping people again.

"And anyways," he continued, "if I were stuck in recovery, they'd have to assign you a new bodyguard. Couldn't have that; we both know you'd miss me too much."

Adina shook her head, grinning. Suddenly, Clint's hand shot up to his earpiece.

"Barton," he answered. "Yeah, I've got her here." He listened to the person on the other end and gave her a look she couldn't read, but she could feel his anticipation.

"Roger that."

She watched him with concern. "Is everything okay?"

He debated on what to say, but finally spoke. "He's here."

"Bruce Banner is in New York."

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, not too long a chapter, mostly setting things up. Finally revealed Adina's main mutation though, yay! And Bruce is back. And more and more Hawkeye, that's always awesome. Also, there is more to that flashback than you think...**

**Speaking of "Roger that", very excited about the Captain America storyline that will come up soon. Stay tuned and keep reading! :D**

**Hope you liked it! And yes I am still alive!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


	9. Bystander

**A/N: Hello all! I have returned! Exams are over and I can finally get back to writing, yay! Wow I've been gone long, school just got so busy. BUT WOAH 50 FOLLOWERS! You folks are superb! Thanks for all the faves, follows and reviews, you are lovely and motivate me!**

**THIS FANFIC HAS A TUMBLR BLOG! ** the-sidelines (there's a link on my profile)

**Follow for updates and info and pictures and other stuff. I will be posting more in-depth notes and references there. Sometimes I forget to put them in the Author's Notes so this way I can just update there whenever I remember. This is also where you can ask any questions you have for me or leave general comments about the story. As I get farther into this story, I might start taking requests for little accompanying oneshots or something.**

**This chapter is rather long, and some parts might be written a bit 'differently', but I had to cover a lot of events. Might rename this chapter later on, wasn't feeling too creative with the title. Shmeh.**

**Anywho, read on and enjoy!**

* * *

Bystander

_You can choose to do the right thing or the wrong thing, or you can choose to stand by and do nothing. And perhaps that is the worst decision of all. ~Setsana_

* * *

**May 2010**  
**S.H.I.E.L.D. Central**  
**New York**

Adina watched the screen in horror as Harlem was torn apart. She had feared this would happen, that General Ross would provoke him, that Bruce would lose control…

But this wasn't the Hulk.

No, the monster laying waste to the city couldn't be the Hulk. This creature was far more frightening. Its skeletal structure bulged out under its yellowish-brown sinewy skin, its large veins and muscles grotesquely prominent. The vertebrae had grown and pierced through the skin, creating a row of spikes along its back to match the sharp claws it was currently using to tear through a vehicle. It was like something out of a nightmare.

Suddenly, the creature whipped its head around, caught sight of the soldier who had the camera mounted on his helmet, and charged. The soldier's cries for a retreat were heard as the jeep he was in tried to speed away, but they weren't quick enough. There was a final image of the creature leaping upon the jeep full of soldiers before the screen went dark.

"Get me eyes out there, Hill," Director Fury ordered. Adina watched him stand almost calmly in the center of the meeting room, not sparing a glance at her or any of the other agents present.

"Working on it, sir," a female voice replied over the speakers.

A few moments passed before the screens came back to life with footage from helicopters, outdoor surveillance cameras and what were most likely more soldier-cams. More disturbing images and sounds filled the room as the creature continued its destruction of the city.

"Aren't you going to _do_ anything?" she asked Director Fury in a panic.

"This is a delicate situation, Doctor, and I intend to deal with it in the most logical way possible."

"So you're just going to sit here and _watch _while an entire city gets ripped to shreds?"

"Not watch, _wait_," he replied sternly. "I'm not sending my men out on a suicide mission. We don't know what this thing is capable of, the extent of its powers; we aren't even sure if it has a weakness. We're better off sending in someone who actually stands a chance."

It took a moment for his words to click in her mind. "You want to send in the Hulk?" She asked incredulously. "You don't think that'll cause more damage? One gamma monster is bad enough! The Hulk doesn't exactly take orders; who's to say he doesn't just join in on this thing's rampage?"

"I have faith that Dr. Banner will know what to do."

"But this isn't Banner! The **Hulk** is **not** **Banner**!" Adina was screaming by now, and had gained the attention of several agents in the room. "And what makes you think he'll stand a chance? The Hulk took out part of a university, but this… thing is demolishing a city!"

Director Fury glared at her. "I'll take my chances."

Just as she went to argue again, she felt Clint grab hold of her arm. "There's nothing you can do, Doc, come on." He went to lead her away.

"Stand down, Agent Barton." Fury gave them a hard look. "I want her to see this."

_He's going to make me watch Bruce hulk out and possibly get himself killed? _She looked to Clint for some sort of help, but he only released her arm and gave her a look that was clearly telling her to follow Fury's order. _How can they follow him so easily, _she thought angrily.

She turned her attention back to the screens just in time to see it happen: the hatch of one of the military aircrafts opened and someone stepped off, plummeting towards the pavement. It took her a moment to realize that person was Bruce, that he was going to awaken the Hulk through the shock of the fall, but he was halfway to the ground and still hadn't turned yet. 100 feet, still nothing. 60 feet. 20 feet…

Adina's hands shot up to her face to smother the cry that jolted out of her as Bruce hit the ground. _He's dead, _she thought, _I just watched him jump off to his death._ She felt herself beginning to cry but was halted when a giant green hand shot out of the rubble, pushing the rest of its massive body out from the crater. Everyone in the room seemed to breathe in relief.

She had never been so happy to see the Hulk before.

The battle between the Hulk and the second creature was ferocious, the beast taking out one of the army helicopters in the process. S.H.I.E.L.D. lost sight of them as they moved to the rooftops and continued their destruction. Soon enough, the frenzy ended, but they still could not see the outcome.

Fury spoke one word into his headset. "Hill?"

There was some crackling over the speakers before the woman's voice returned. "Blonsky is down, sir. The Hulk has eliminated the threat and is currently fleeing the scene. Pursue?"

"Negative, Hill. Regroup with your team and return to base, we're done here."

Fury turned back to Adina. "Well, Doctor, looks like everything went according to plan," he said smugly.

"Half of Harlem is destroyed and you have a gamma monster loose. That was your plan?"

"My plan was to have the Hulk eliminate the threat, and he did just that. The end justifies the means. It would be in your best interests not to question my motives, Doctor. We're on the same side here, remember that." With that, Fury turned and left the room, leaving Adina to be escorted back to her room by Clint.

"_It would be in your best interests not to question my motives, Doctor…"_

* * *

******_February 2004_**  
**_Culver University_**  
**_Willowdale, Virginia_**

"…_We're all on the same side here," General Ross said. "We all want the same thing."_

_Adina shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I'm just not sure. I don't mean to doubt your integrity, it's just… that's something very powerful and potentially dangerous to be putting out into the military…"_

"_We're not creating weapons," Bruce piped in beside her, "we're creating protection. Adina, if this formula works, think of the other practical applications we could put it towards. We could improve radiation treatment for cancer patients; we could save lives!"_

_She looked at Bruce's excited expression. She didn't like Ross, she didn't like the military, and she didn't like taking risks. But Bruce was so enthusiastic, so sure about the whole thing, and if there was anyone who knew gamma radiation, it was him._

_Adina looked to Bruce one last time before deciding. "Alright. I'll do what I can to help."_

_She felt the regret begin as soon as General Ross smiled at her. "You're doing your country a great service, Ms. Halloway. We're going to help make the world a better place."_

* * *

Adina tried and failed to stifle yet another yawn as she opened another file on a serum variant. Sleep had not come easily last night after watching her friend almost get killed. She kept going over what had happened, worried and frightened; and she wasn't the only one. The shock, fear and anxiety of the people at S.H.I.E.L.D. Central had been overwhelming, and it took hours of meditation before she could get any sleep. _Then again, I suppose it's nice to know these people actually have __**feelings**__._

A knock at her door interrupted her reading, and she called for the person to enter, regretting it immediately as Fury welcomed himself into her office.

"Director," she greeted lightly, organizing the files on her desk so as to avoid making eye contact.

"How are you doing, Doctor?"

At that, she stopped her shuffling. _How am I doing? After you made me watch my friend lose control and take on another giant creature, destroying a city and almost getting killed in the process while you did nothing?_

It took everything in her to force a smile. "I'm fine."

"Good," Fury replied smugly. He was dismissing yesterday's events entirely, but that was the point. If she dared to bring it up now, she would only be bringing up the fact that his plan had worked. He'd won this round.

"Then I'm sure you're feeling up to a little task," he continued.

She didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean exactly, sir?" _Great, I've started calling him 'sir'. Just give him more authority, why don't you?_

"I've got a patient for you. Come with me."

Fury turned and walked out of the room, leaving Adina to scramble for anything she might need and hurry out to follow him. When they came to the infirmary, Fury stopped her.

"The man you're about to treat is Dr. Samuel Sterns."

The name was familiar. "Isn't that the man Dr. Banner went to see about a cure?"

"The very same. Agent Romanoff apprehended him after finding him in the rubble of his lab last night. She subdued him and brought him here."

"Subdued him?"

"He wasn't entirely cooperative. We'd like you to fix him up, but more importantly, we want some answers."

"You want me to interrogate him?"

"Something like that."

"I'm not sure I'm any good at—"

"Just get him to tell you what he knows about the serum." He turned and began walking away down the hall. "You'll do fine, doctor. After all, you seem to be an expert at persuasion."

Adina whipped around to look at him, but he had already disappeared around the corner. _That answers the question 'how much does Fury know about your mutation'._ She would have to deal with that later; she had a patient to take care of.

She pushed the door to the infirmary room open to find a scrawny man sitting on the medical table, his back turned to her. Agent Romanoff stood opposite him, meeting her as she entered.

"Will you be needing any assistance, doctor?" Adina assumed she meant assistance with the 'persuasion' part of the job; Natasha seemed like the type of person with expertise that area – she was a spy, after all.

"No, I should be fine. Thank you, Agent Romanoff." With that, Natasha gave her a nod and left her alone with the man.

Adina approached him carefully. "Dr. Sterns, I'm Dr. Halloway. I'm here to—"

Her own gasp cut her off as she saw his face. His forehead bulged out from the rest of his head, a small cut adorning the left side of his temple. His skin was paling, turning a sickly green in some places. He looked ill. He looked deformed.

He looked mutated.

"…Dr. Sterns?" She tried again.

This time, his head whipped up to look at her, a crazed look on his face. "Sorry, sorry about that I just… I was just a little out of it for a minute there. That agent knocked me out pretty good last night, I guess I'm still recovering."

Adina nodded. "Well, that's what I'm here to help with. As I said before, my name is—"

"Dr. Adina Halloway, yes I've read up on your research." His face broke out into a grin that made her uncomfortable. "Incredible work, truly incredible. Mutation truly does have so much potential."

She forced an awkward smile. "Yes, I suppose it does. Now, I'd like to take a look at any injuries you might have sustained."

"_Might_ have sustained? That agent shot me in the leg! I'm quite positive I've sustained an injury!"

'_Subdued', huh Fury?_ She got him to lie down on the table and began working on the wound in his leg. Someone had already removed the bullet, thankfully, she just had to do some patch work. She decided against using her mutation, not wanting to risk this her secret getting out any farther than S.H.I.E.L.D. Checking him for more injuries didn't reveal much, save for a few scratches and bruises, which meant she could no longer avoid the larger issue: his very obviously and rapidly occurring mutation.

"Dr. Sterns, the cut on your head seems to be infected, and it looks as though it's spreading throughout your body."

He looked at her, shocked. "Infected? I wouldn't exactly call it that." The crazed look was back on his face as he sat up.

"Then what, exactly, would you call it, if not an infection?" She questioned worriedly.

He seemed to be thinking for a moment. "An improvement!"

"Dr. Sterns, were you exposed to Dr. Banner's blood samples?"

"I believe so," he answered excitedly.

"And were those not the same blood samples that created the creature responsible for last night's attack on Harlem?"

"Oh, I see what you're getting at. No, you see, that soldier forced me to inject him with the blood sample, but he already had something in him – some other refined version of Dr. Banner's serum. My replicated blood samples alone didn't cause his transformation, the mixture of the two formulas in his body is what created that abomination."

She felt like slamming her head into something. _That thing was the army's successful super soldier? The only living success is now a monstrous abomination. He was the first step to figuring this whole serum thing out, and now he's ruined our chance._

"And you aren't worried at all about the blood samples having similar effects on you?"

"No! You see, this is a miracle of science. It's an enhancement of the human body and mind."

If she wasn't worried before, she certainly was now. "What do you mean by enhancement of the mind, Dr. Sterns?"

"Since last night I've just felt…" Sterns closed his eyes and let out a sigh, "…enlightened. Like everything just makes a little bit more sense. I have a greater understanding of everything around me. And do you know what's that like, Dr. Halloway? Do you know how it makes me feel?"

Adina didn't really want to hear the answer. "How, Dr. Sterns?"

He leaned forward, unsettlingly close to her.

"Powerful."

* * *

Director Fury was waiting for her outside the infirmary with a couple of agents.

"Well, doctor? What did he have to say?"

Adina shook herself from her thoughts and looked at Fury. She had continued looking over and questioning Dr. Sterns for some time before leaving the room, and although she had some answers, some of what he had to say had her on edge.

"Um, Dr. Sterns was exposed to one of the samples he generated from Dr. Banners blood. I don't believe it was much, but it did enter the bloodstream directly through a wound on his temple. But, he seems to be having, um, reactions to the gamma poisoning."

"What kind of reactions?" Fury asked carefully, noting her shaken state.

"Like Dr. Banner, his body is undergoing mutation due to exposure, but it may be mental as well as physical. I can't say exactly how the symptoms are developing just yet, but it probably won't be long before he can be classified as a full-fledged mutant."

"And the serum?"

"I asked about his process in creating it, and I do have some information, but it will be more useful if I actually have access to his samples."

Fury nodded. "We're in the process of obtaining them." He motioned for the other agents to enter the infirmary.

"What are you going to do with Dr. Sterns?" she asked Fury.

"We'll keep him under isolated observation here at the base while his mutation develops. We need to make sure he doesn't turn into another Hulk, and it'll be useful to have him around should you need answers about the formula."

Adina nodded in understanding, but she couldn't quell the unease she felt inside. This man was turning into a mutant, her own kind, and she was just going to let S.H.I.E.L.D. detain him, lock him away where he could be observed or used as a science experiment – until he was of use to them, to _her_. It was the very thing she had always feared might happen to her, and she was standing by while it happened to this man. But she did need his knowledge, she needed to monitor his development, and the situation was under Fury's control anyways. What could she do?

"And Doctor," Fury continued, "good work."

She turned and walked back towards her office, sick to her stomach.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, being a mutant makes life kind of complicated, huh?**

**UGH rewriting battle scenes sucks. Also, the Abomination disturbs me, so I hope my detailed description of his body got that feeling across. Well played, VFX artists.**

**Kind of brought Maria Hill in, because she needs a place in this story instead of just popping up on the Helicarrier. She shall return. Maybe. I got to write more Fury though, yay!**

**Uh, what else? Samuel Sterns mutating, we see it near the end of Incredible Hulk: for those of you who know the comics and cartoons, you know what he might become. Stay tuned for that. And the thing about Sterns being shot, subdued and taken to S.H.I.E.L.D. by Black Widow – that actually did happened in **_**Fury's Big Week**_**, the lead-in comic to the Avengers.**

**Read and Review! Follow on Tumblr if you like!**

**It's good to be back. :D**


	10. Distracted

**A/N: So um yes, hello again (and hello to new readers who are finding this fic). I'd just like to apologize for my terribleness. I know I've been away for quite a while, but I lost Adina for a bit. Yes, I lost her, she was literally gone from my mind for like a month and I couldn't write this story whatsoever: first-time writer's block, woo! And then life got busy and whatnot, and my dear muse seemed to wander her way back while I was working on other things.**

**I think I answered most reviews but thank you so much again for your wonderful feedback! I'll be answering reviews in these author's notes from now on I think instead of doing PMs cause that takes forever for some reason. For now I'll just say another thank you to **Audrey Whyte, queen-of-evil666, TheNaggingCube **and** smarty-wanna-party **for your reviews on the last chapter(s), and of course** zxnightfox, TokyoGirl7 **and** ginkies **for continuing to review (long live the Reviewers Three! :P). I've also started posting stuff again on the Tumblr blog for this story (the-sidelines), so yay I'll keep updating that too.**

**So yes, I'm back, this story is back, it's not leaving don't worry. Sorry about the ridiculous delay.**

**Notes: I did a minor change to an earlier chapter. All you need to know is that Adina's empathy has been around for a few years not a few months or whatever, I messed that up. Also Jemma Simmons is now with a 'J' because Marvel went and changed it. And based on the trailer, she appears to be British.**

* * *

Distracted

_Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. ~Buddha_

* * *

**May 2010  
****S.H.I.E.L.D. Central  
****New York**

Adina removed her glass and ran a hand through her hair as she laid her head on the desk. It had been a long week of studying and testing and worrying. Mostly worrying. A week since the Hulk incident in Harlem, and she was still worried about Bruce. Lockdown at S.H.I.E.L.D. Central had been lifted and she'd been allowed to return home, but her apartment quiet and lonely, and had her feeling anxious all over again. She wanted Bruce to be somewhere safe, but despite his experience as a fugitive, she knew there was nowhere they couldn't find him. Diving into her work to keep her mind occupied, the stress of her research set in fast. The excitement of finally getting to work with the serum samples had worn off quickly, and Adina was back to the same old routine of long hours and new promising discoveries followed by self-doubt. She had visited Dr. Sterns in his holding room in the hopes of finding some new information, but it hadn't gone well...

"_Dr. Sterns, I promise I will do everything I can to help cure you."_

"_Cure me? Cure me of what?!" Sterns said, rising from his seat. "THERE IS NOTHING TO CURE!" The chair he had been sitting on shot from the ground and flew across the room, just narrowly missing her. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rushed to her aid, immediately restraining and sedating Sterns. The image of his mutated features and crazed look burned itself into her memory before he succumbed to the sedation. His words rang through her mind: 'there is nothing to cure'. Didn't she say those exact words once? She couldn't help but ponder it as she watched the agents drag him from the small room._

No, it hadn't gone well at all.

After that incident, Fury decided to move Sterns to a "more secure location", as he put it. Which, to Adina, meant a prison strong enough to hold him; strong enough to hold any super-powered beings, most likely. And that could mean mutants. Fury had assured her that S.H.I.E.L.D. did not make a point of capturing or experimenting on mutants, but the fact that they had a holding facility ready for the newly-mutated Sterns was an obvious concern. Adina let out a sigh; she was letting it all get to her. Removing her lab coat and grabbing her bag, she decided to take a walk around the base to clear her head. She hadn't expected anyone to be there this late at night, but then S.H.I.E.L.D. was no ordinary workplace.

As she passed one door, she felt an incredible sense of calm radiating out from the person within, enough that it made her stop and enjoy it for a moment. She didn't often feed off of others' emotions – some had found it rude during her time at Xavier's – but she needed this. Curiosity getting the better of her, she peered into the small door window of the room. It was some sort of gym or training facility, with only one person occupying it, standing on the far side.

Clint.

He was armed with his bow and arrows, shooting them off one by one into various targets that were just out of her view through the little window. She watched as he remained focused on his targets, his back straight and arms relaxed despite the task of strength they were accomplishing. He seemed… at home, tranquil, and it mesmerized her. She missed the tranquility that she always felt back home, the feeling of always having her family and friends right there with her and knowing that they were safe. She missed the calm, she missed her carefree spirit, she missed—

"You gonna come in or what, Doc?"

The muffled voice startled Adina. She looked to find Clint still shooting, still staring at his targets, but it had definitely been his voice that called her. Hesitating, she pushed open the door and let herself into the training room. He shot one last arrow, and she watched as it hit a small red mark on a dummy. _Bullseye. Or, bullseyes, I guess, _she thought, as she noted all of the other arrow-pierced targets along the far wall.

"Impressed?" Clint asked in a cocky tone, approaching her as he lowered his bow.

"You certainly live up to the name, Hawkeye."

He let out a short laugh. "I try. So what brings you here, Doc? I've almost never seen you leave your lab."

"I just… needed to clear my head a bit. I mean, with the whole Hulk incident and—"

"You don't have to explain yourself, Doc, I get it. We see a lot of crazy things in this job that most people would never have to deal with. A lot of complicated situations and tough decisions. Trust me," he said, holding her gaze, "I get it."

She nodded, and for a while they just stood there in each other's company. It was nice to have people who understood what she was going through again. There were crazy things happening in the world that the majority of the population didn't know about, and despite how wary she still was of S.H.I.E.L.D., she was glad to be around these people. Or… was it just this person? Adina didn't really _know_ most of the people of S.H.I.E.L.D., but she had taken a liking to Clint through the few interactions they'd had. He seemed to have a firm set of morals, and took his job seriously, but he had a sense of humour and she liked that. He wasn't here for work, he was here because he _belonged, _because he wanted to be here. And it didn't hurt that he was attractive_._ _Woah, getting a bit ahead of yourself there, girl, _she berated herself; though she did have to admit that he was a good-looking guy.

"Come on," Clint said, breaking the awkward silence she hadn't realize they'd created. He began collecting his things and stowing them away.

"Where are we going?"

"Your place."

_Wait what?_

"Uh-uhm," she stammered, "excuse me?"

He saw her expression and laughed. "Aw, I'm flattered, Doc," he teased while leading her out the door, "but that's not what I meant. You look exhausted, you need to get off your feet. I'm driving you home."

Adina tried to control her embarrassment as she replied. "Oh, you really don't have to do that Clint. I can manage just fine."

"Too late, my mind's already made up."

She looked at him, perplexed, before shaking it off and following him to the garage. It had been a long day and she wasn't up for arguing. _Free ride home, why not?_

They got into one of the sleek black S.H.I.E.L.D. cars and he started out of the garage.

"Wait, what about my car?" Adina asked in sudden realization.

"We'll have a couple of agents bring it over in the morning."

"I don't want to make more work for anyone."

"It's no problem. Besides, that's what the rookies are for."

He didn't seem to mind her unimpressed glare as he continued down the road smirking.

* * *

"So boarding school, huh?"

They had arrived at her building and were taking the elevator up to Adina's floor. She had been surprised to find that Clint actually enjoyed conversation; most agents working for a secret UN organization weren't exactly the chatty type. The two had talked during the entire car ride.

"Yeah, thank goodness," she replied as the elevator doors slid open and they started down the hall.

"Not the usual reaction to boarding school…"

She laughed. "Well, home life wasn't so great and… I was glad to get away." _Plus it was a safe house for mutants._ She decided to leave that part out. "I ended up teaching there for a while too."

"Let me guess, science?" he asked sarcastically.

"You noticed the trend, huh?"

"No, wild guess."

She found herself laughing again as she reached her door. She found herself laughing a lot around Clint, and smiling. It was… different. She generally tried to be content, but her worries often caught up with her too quickly for her to enjoy herself. Clint was a good distraction: she'd only known him a couple of weeks, but he was witty and easy to talk to and… _**Calm**_. There was that word again. Maybe that was it, why she enjoyed his presence so much. Despite being a master marksman working for a secret organization that sent him out on missions to do God knows what, he seemed perfectly pleased with how his life was going. And being the anxious, stressed out person she usually was, it was good for her to have someone like him around.

"You miss it, don't you?" Clint's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"What?"

"Your boarding school," he reiterated, amused to have lost her in the conversation, "you miss it."

Her heart sank a bit. "Yeah, I guess I do." _The same way anyone would miss their family._ She tore her eyes from his gaze and fumbled with her keys, finally managing to unlock and open her door. "What about you, anyone you're missing from back home?"

"No, not exactly," he said slowly, as though trying to figure out how to explain it. "But that's a story for another time."

"Aw, come on, I told you a bit about myself, time to return the favour. At least tell me what you were doing before the secret agent Robin Hood gig."

"Sorry Doc, I'm calling the curfew. I drove you home so you could get some rest, not gossip with me all night."

Right. She had honestly forgotten her exhaustion on the way home. _He really is a good distraction, _she thought.

"Fine. Rain check?" She said, sounding hopeful.

"Definitely a rain check," he replied smiling.

She turned and walked into her apartment. "Oh, and by the way," Clint spoke, making her stop and turn back to face him, "the circus."

"What?"

He smirked at her before turning and walking down the hallway.

"Wait, you were in the _circus?_" she called after him.

"Another time, Doc."

"Oh come on, that's not fair, you can't just tell me that and then—!"

"Good night, Doc!" he called out as he turned the corner. She could her him laughing at her even as she closed the door and retired for the night.

Adina heard the doors to her office slide open as someone entered.

* * *

"Good morning, Dr. Halloway," greeted the slightly accented voice of Agent Jemma Simmons. The woman walked up to her desk carrying a case with the familiar eagle insignia on it. "Samples of the Super Soldier Serum that General Ross was using on his enhanced soldier," Simmons explained.

"Oh, um, of course. Thank you, Agent Simmons, I've been waiting for these." She opened the case and pulled out the vials of blue liquid, moving to store them away.

"So that's what's responsible for the Abomination, huh?" Simmons asked, causing Adina to flinch. She didn't like that they called him the "Abomination"; it wasn't as though he asked to be mutated. _But then, he did,_ she reminded herself, noting the full report she'd been given about how Emil Blonsky had volunteered for the project.

"Partially," she explained. "Blonsky was injected with this serum to increase his physical strength, speed, and stamina; very similar to the one that gave us Captain America in the 40s. I believe it was the mixture with Dr. Sterns' formula, drawn from the Hulk's blood, that caused him to turn into that creature."

"Does it ever freak you out?" Simmons pondered out loud. "Does it ever scare you how powerful and dangerous the stuff we work with is?"

"All the time," Adina replied honestly.

The two were interrupted as the door slid open again, revealing Agent Coulson on the other side.

She inwardly sighed. This was turning into the same situation as in Columbia University: people were always coming through her door. _Some things never change_.

"Agent Coulson, it's been a while," she greeted, nodding to Agent Simmons as she politely excused herself.

"Dr. Halloway," he greeted in kind. "How is work coming along?"

"Slow and steady, Agent, it'll take time. But I hardly think you came to ask me about my day, so please: what's on your mind?"

"We have orders from Director Fury," he replied. _Of course we do._ "We're going to Malibu."

"Malibu?" Now she was confused. "Um… Are we going on vacation?" _What a dumb question. Do I even get vacation time here?_

"Not exactly," Coulson continued. "You're going to check up on a patient of yours, and I've been assigned to accompany you there."

She looked at him in confusion. "I don't think I've ever treated anyone in Malibu before. Unless…" Realization dawned on her face and she looked at Coulson, hoping she was wrong. Instead, she was met with his nod of affirmation. _Oh great…_

"Trust me, Dr. Halloway, I'm just as unhappy about seeing him as you are."

* * *

**A/N: Et voila! Sorry if the three-part chapter was weird: I was going to split this into two chapters but then decided not to. Hope it didn't jump too much. This chapter was kind of slow because it's just bridging a gap really. Plus I wanted some more Clint in there. Time to go visit our friend in Malibu! :D**

**Thank you all so much for being so patient and so great! You know I love hearing from you so please review! :D**


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